X-MEN Unknown
by peter7697
Summary: this a self insert x-men fanfic. i do not own any rights to xmen universe or characters or any characters or creatures used in this fanfic. thanks to ArcheryGirl1101 helping me.
1. Chapter 1

It was a typically cold Scottish night. Peter, a tall, black haired and brown eyed boy was playing with his Yu-Gi-Oh Cards with his Brother. Peter realised he was finally going to win; he had four of the five pieces of Exodia. It was his turn to draw, a massive smile crept upon his face as he had now obtained all five pieces, placing his last card upon the floor announcing "I summon Exodia, the Forbidden One"

After those words had left his mouth Peter suddenly felt drained, all his energy gone for no apparent reason. In his peripheral vision he noticed a creature - that was eerily similar to Exodia itself - before he could react in any formal way the creature set loose against the house, destroying everything in its wake. Peter had passed out cold.

Peter awoke a few days later in what he realised to be Raigmore Hospital, but he couldn't understand _why_ he was there. He figured everything that had happened was merely a dream however that still didn't explain the visit to the hospital. Taking a look around Peter noticed he was alone in the room. This gave him time to contemplate as to the question behind his visit but nothing came to mind. A short amount of time passed before a Doctor let himself in, his name tag indicated his name was Doctor Smith. The Doctor held an expression of surprise as he approached Peter introducing himself "Hello Peter. I'm Doctor Smith. I've been the one checking up on you during your stay, you've been in this room, unconscious, for the past three days"

Peter was shocked to discover his time spent in the Hospital. His mind reeled back to his family and the accident. _'Were they all OK?'_ He wondered in a panic. Peter was adamant that the accident _was_ just a dream, but his mind wouldn't let up. If something had happened to his family what would happen to him? During his over-anxious thought process Peter began to have a meltdown. In his current state Peter was only able to ask one question, "Where are my parents?"

The Doctor was taken aback by Peter's question, knowing that in his current state added stress could deteriorate Peter's health further - during the scan of Peter's Medical File he took a heavy note of Peter being Autistic - but he would have to answer the early teen's question sooner rather than later. Taking a deep breath Doctor Smith answered in truth "I'm sorry. Oh Peter, I am so, so sorry but your parents are dead. As I was told by the Police your house was blown up, killing everyone except you"

The words cut into Peter like burning daggers, sending him into a complete Meltdown, crying in sheer agony. Doctor Smith attempted to calm Peter down however Peter violently jerked away from the physical contact. The Doctor considered his options on how to relieve Peter's grief and ultimately decided to leave him to process the information given to him alone knowing his lingering presence would only make matters worse.

Peter laid there in his bed curling up as best he could while he sobbed for hours. He didn't exactly know how that creature was summoned, destroying his life and everyone in it but he knew one thing; he was responsible for it. The guilt and grief crushed him into the night, forcing him to doze through the night but he didn't sleep. He never slept when he had a Meltdown unless his body completely shut down.

The next morning Doctor Smith tried again to speak with Peter but was cautious in his words and his tone, he didn't want to set Peter off on another Meltdown. He slowly eased into their conversation "Peter? I'm going to have to take some blood and enforce a check-up on you too. The Police are also here, they want to ask you some questions if that's alright with you?"

Peter desperately yearned to say "No" but he knew that he'd have to eventually, so he reluctantly nodded to get it out of the way.

Once the Doctor had finished a lone female Officer let herself in "Hello. My name is Officer Campbell, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you if that's alright?"

Peter just nodded, too exhausted to bother with words.

"OK. Where were you home on the night of the accident"

"Yes" Peter hissed out

"So, you mind telling me what you were doing that night?" Her tone sounded condescending to Peter but replied nonetheless

"Playing a Yu-Gi-Oh Card Game with my Brother"

"Did you notice anything strange before the accident?"

Peter had to stop and think before answering this question, should he tell her about what he had _actually_ seen? The more he dwelled on it the less realistic it would sound to her, she'd probably just laugh or not take him seriously but he answered truthfully with "All I remember is seeing a tall creature appear out nowhere and then I passed out" if Peter had the energy to do so he may have lied or bent the truth a little.

The Officer's face froze, believing that it was a dark, scary experience and Peter's imagination was simply playing tricks on him, she made a note of it anyway thinking nothing of it breaking the subtle silence, making a show of standing up "Thank you for your time, Peter. I have no further questions to ask you today, but we will be keeping an eye on you, just in case" Her face turned solemn "I'm sorry for your loss"

With that said she was gone. Once again Peter was alone in his room, the lack of sleep finally catching up with him. He was out in seconds.

Officer Campbell strode up to Doctor Smith's office wanting any other details Peter failed to mention.

"Hello Doctor Smith, I'd like to know something, please?"

"Of course. What is it?" The Doctor replied.

"Has Peter said or done anything strange during his time here?"

"Doctor-Patient confidentiality usually suspends me from sharing that information but no, he only woke up yesterday with no recollection of how he got there, why?"

"He's just told me that he saw a creature in his room on the night of the accident, has he said anything to you?"

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that. I am busy, and I need to run down to the labs for Peter's blood work results" The Doctor dismissed the Officer

"Of course. Thank you for your time"

Doctor Smith headed down to the labs with somewhat haste. He felt relief as the lab was currently empty, so he dove straight into his work. During his analysis of Peter's blood sample, he noticed something peculiar within Peter's Genes and made sure to triple-check before the realisation finally hit; Peter had the X-Gene.

After discovering the X-Gene Doctor Smith then dove into more research about the X-Gene, who knew about it and what could be attached to this Gene.

The Doctor had spent hours upon hours typing away, printing off pages of information that could potentially help Peter understand what the 'X-Gene' truly was and how it could affect him in future.

During his research one name in particular repeatedly appeared "Prof. Charles Xavier", Doctor Smith then rapidly typed away into his keyboard finding streams of information about this Professor and his school - for those of 'Special' or 'Gifted' needs to enrol Doctor Smith continued his quest to not only understand himself but in hope to make Peter as comfortable to the idea as possible knowing the young boy had nowhere to go and no-one to help guide him through future life, if Peter was going to gain a second chance... this was it.

Unbeknown to both a sleeping Peter and a Doctor thriving in his research, thousands of miles away Professor Charles Xavier himself was watching the New Headlines and Updates of a mysterious explosion within Invergordon, Scotland. Only one boy to survive the accident. Condition unknown and currently being treated inside Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Xavier stretched his mind far to reach the boy - known as Peter Kieran Stewart. Finding the boy's mind to be scrambled with grief, anger, confusion and a strange creature lurking within his mind too. Expanding his search Peter's name was echoed in another mind several corridors down, a man - Doctor Johnathan Smith - was researching something all-too familiar to the Professor; the X-Gene.

Back peddling, Xavier blinked himself back into the present.

"Storm, Jean I have a new assignment for you"

A few hours later Storm and Jean found themselves in Inverness. They quickly made their way to Raigmore Hospital to find and speak to both Peter and Doctor Smith. Meanwhile back at the school Xavier was finishing all the paperwork he needed to have Peter fully transferred to the school without any troubles.

Peter woke up to the sound of two sets of shoes scrapping against the floor. Still bleary from his Meltdown he didn't pay too much attention to them until Doctor Smith re-entered. At first the Doctor wasn't sure who or why these women were here, they briefly explained the situation to the Doctor - who willingly accepted their story after his hours of research - and carefully woke Peter up properly so the situation could be explain wholly without interruption or distress.

Peter listened gathering up his remaining clothes; an older - slightly greying - white shirt, a crimson tie, black trousers and shoes along with his tan trench coat. All Peter could think at this point was _'Screw it', it's have nothing better to do. It's not like I've got anywhere to go'_

A strong, comforting voice then spoke out of nowhere _'You're wrong, Peter. You have much more in store for you than you think. My name is Charles Xavier, we have much to discuss together once you arrive at my school for the gifted'_.


	2. Chapter 2

Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters 2018(present day)

A twenty-one-year-old Peter woke up from his recurring dream. Although it wasn't a dream, it was a memory, the same one that plagued his sleeping nights since the accident and the days that followed. A part of him did consider this to be a nightmare but having lived in the Xavier Mansion for the eight years that had passed he was used to it.

Sitting up he considered what to do for the day. Staring down his trench coat - a habit picked up long ago and would probably never be broken; he would stare at his trench coat – that was draped haphazardly over his bedside chair - and allowed his mind to drift back to happier times with his family before the accident - Peter shrugged, considered breakfast and dragged his feet to the kitchen.

The aroma of sizzling bacon and sausages guided Peter to move a little faster. Once Peter entered the kitchen he saw Logan cooking. Logan didn't cook often but when he did Peter made sure to grab first dibs.

Hearing Peter enter Logan only had to glance at Peter, trying his damnest not to laugh as Peter ran up to grab a plate and gave Logan Puppy Eyes. Logan complied, he could never say "No" to the kid anyways, always making sure to give Peter that little bit more knowing full well Peter had lost everyone he loved and couldn't help but relate.

Once Peter had finished his breakfast - under Logan's watchful eye - he originally wanted to crawl back into his room however Wolverine interrupted his plans "Don't forget, we're going to New York today. The Professor thinks an Anti-Mutant Activist Group are preparing for something big, they're also throwing around authority over Mutants however they can and not in the friendly way so we're going in to help. Go and get ready, we leave in thirty minutes"

Peter sighed, don't get him wrong he enjoyed missions but what got under his skin was the massive amount of noise produced extended with the constant buzz of people, unfortunately New York had both in full swing. Peter marched back to his room, grabbed a quick shower, redressed himself - making sure to grab his 'Special' cards which clipped onto his belt and his headphones to drone out everything around him to make this trip bearable.

The plane ride was over quickly, much to both Logan and Peter's delight. Having been dropped off in a more abandoned portion of the city to keep a low-profile Logan suggested they start off at Grand Central Station due to it being the more opted location for travelling along with the fact there were rumours spread that the Anti-Mutant Activists were planning on surrounding the area for their own plan of action.

As a precaution Peter kept his headphones looped around the back of his neck knowing it was going to be a _long_ day.

As Peter and Logan approached Grand Central Station Logan suggested they separated to cover more ground Peter didn't like the idea of being surrounded alone in such a scaled placed but knew it was for the best to cover the most ground, sometimes it was better having a large group. Agreeing in the plan Peter headed west while Logan took the east side. For safety and security both carried phones so if anything were to happen contact was always available.

Peter slowly stalked around, keeping to himself as he wasn't in the best if moods to deal with larger crowds today, he kept his ears peeled for anything connecting to the Anti-Mutants Groups and what their reasons for being at Grand Central was in the first place.

A young, shorter, messy-haired brunette girl caught Peter's attention. She was standing in the corner, being crowded by a familiar looking face. Peter analysed her and noticed something was off about her, it wasn't just her in general it was the fact the hoodie she wore was obviously too big for her. Abuse was being hurled her way, she seemed to just be absorbing it all, phrases like "We don't want your Kind here" or "Die with the rest of the Mutant Scum" was repeated heavily. It was then Peter recognised they guy to be a well-known leader of the Anti-Mutant Activist Division he and Logan were assigned to.

The man lunged at the girl, she seemed taken aback by the sudden attack however she could only defend so much given he had her literally cornered her. Peter swooped in to protect her, summoning one of his weakest cards. He made sure to fire off a text Logan giving his location for back-up.

Peter and his Summoned - Sangan, it wasn't particularly powerful however held a more intimidating stance - knocked the guy flat on his ass. He dismissed the creature so hopefully no-one would or did see it long enough to raise attention or suspicion. He checked on the startled girl making sure she was alright while he waited on Logan to appear.

Location: New York, 2013.

For Naomi being a Mutant wasn't the easiest thing in the world to deal with. That and several other problems of growing up in a shit-hole.

Her Father wasn't the nicest guy in the world - putting it lightly. Hell, she was the Mutant, but she hardly considered her 'Father' to be damn near Human.

The man was disgusted by all of Mutant kind, for all of her thirteen years of her life he was hated, despised, abused - in all senses of the word known to Homosapiens. Yet Naomi held her head high. She was a survivor and pushed through the darkest of nights alone, but she preferred it that way.

Her Mother had died giving birth to her, or so she was told by her Father. Naomi imagined as soon as she was born her Mother was tossed into the street like the 'pathetic piece of Mutant trash' she was and was never seen or heard from again.

Despite all the bad Naomi still had a roof over her head, food on the table - she made or prepped it obviously because her Father refused to feed a Mutant - put clothes on her back and a maintain a somewhat role model in her life. Not her Father, God no, the next-door neighbour was a kind old lady that never made a peep and had called the police a handful of occasions from the shouting of possible abusing of Naomi, but she treated Naomi in kind. That was all the teen silently asked for. Not that she had told the lady her secret, the elderly woman only gave her name once and Naomi forgot it instantly.

Naomi hated herself, it wasn't because she was a Mutant - she was a Shape Shifter, making sure to stay clear of all forms of silver as it burned like a Bitch against her skin and did have the potential to kill her. She hated herself because her Father stole her purity; raping her at the age of nine and had dragged her down into the depths of Hell to remind her she was a Mutant and would never be accepted into this world. She was the Freak, the Outcast, the Thing that should never have existed. Countless times she wished for Death to consume her or have a Reaper escort her to Hell because anything was better than the hole that was her life.

The teen knew how to take care of herself, she had been doing it for herself and her Father for too many years to count so at 03:25AM on a freezing cold Winter's night Naomi decided enough was enough. Packing her clothes inside large black duffle bag, her toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner, her iPod and universal charger taking the only portrait of her Mother that she had stashed as a child along with her earned cash she snuck away into the night with her full duffel, phone, keys and her favourite viridian green leather jacket. In good measure she stole one of her Fathers smaller hoodies - far too large for her but it would keep her warm in the long run, it's not he'd notice or care. She had taken a few plastic bags that were filled with food too, she could survive of minimum food given she would be focusing on distancing herself as far as possible. Slinging over her sleeping back over her shoulder she didn't stop walking until the dizziness of no sleep caught up with her. She'd found a shelter to tuck herself into for the night. As dawn approached she woke up, left and kept moving.

Five years later and still on the streets Naomi didn't have much to show for it but she had enough. Though unable to leave New York because it was home she had a make-shift house to live in. Grand Central Station had a small hide-away corner she managed to squeeze through, she didn't bother anyone, so no-one bothered her. Unsure how it all started she even landed a part-time job in the station inside the Cafe, she Shifted into a ditsy blonde with blue eyes and perky smile because no-one needed to know or see who she truly was.

The toilets provided a shower and the shops kept her supplies level whenever she needed to. She had never felt so secure in her life. She was - dare she believe to think or say it - happy for the first time in eighteen years.

Exhausted from her day she hadn't bothered to listen about the droning Anti-Mutant Activist on the news, all she heard were her Father's rantings whenever he'd beaten her bloody, black and blue.

Shifting back into her regular form she made the rookie mistake of failing to notice the Leader of the Activist announcing his arrival inside the Station and had witnessed her abilities. He made a direct B-Line for her.

Cursing herself she messed up her hair, pulled on her Father's hoodie and planted herself in the corner hoping to avoid physical confrontation. She knew how to defend herself in some ways - you don't take thirteen years of pummelling's and not learn a thing or two.

The jackass Leader found her and started screaming at her, the abuse was nothing short of her Father's words however she was surprised the Leader actually pounced for her. Unable to move from her corner a tall, trench coated man interrupted, muttering something under his breath only for a literal monster to appear which only attacked the Leader knocking him straight to the ground and suddenly the monster was gone as fast as it arrived. Naomi's protector asked if she was alright, to which she nodded. The new guy typed away on what appeared to look like a bizarre phone then awkwardly stood with her. She could only think of one thing to say to him "So, you're a Mutant too?"


	3. Chapter 3

Peter looked up from his phone after the girl spoke to him "So, you're a Mutant too?" The girl was shaking fiercely. Peter acted on instinct pulling off his coat and wrapping it around her shoulders, making sure it didn't slide off from the hoodie. "Yes, I'm with the X-Men. My name's Peter, what's yours?"

The girl looked up to him - Peter was at least a foot taller than her - with watery jade eyes. No-one had bothered to ask her name before, not her real one anyways, the ditsy blonde she copied was named Daisy, but she didn't bother with faking any persona this time around "Naomi. My name's Naomi"

The shock of the attack caused the floodgates to open on Naomi's behalf, too many memories of her Father lunging for her and attacking all came back at once - not that Peter knew that, he wrapped his arms around her shushing her, whispering to her "It's going to be alright. Logan and I are going to take you away from here, somewhere safe with other Mutants…. we'll take care of you"

Naomi buried her head deeper into Peter's chest, clutching his shirt with a solid grip. She muffled an acceptance however Peter didn't hear it, he felt a hurried nod instead. That's how Logan found them, Peter hugging a girl tight who was crying with his trench coat wrapped around her. Peter gazed at the Wolverine uttering "I did something bad". Logan took another quick glance at the pair then the unconscious guy on the ground - it didn't take long to connect the dots "Are you two alright?" Logan asked

"Yes, she's a Mutant too. I said she could come with us" Peter replied, still holding Naomi

Wolverine made sure the asshole was completely knocked out completely before slugging him over his shoulder "We better hurry back then, we're taking her and this guy back to the school. The Professor will want a word with you, possibly both of you so you may want to prepare yourself for that"

Naomi pulled away after Logan had spoken "Let me grab my things" she sniffled "Sorry" she directed to Peter

"For what?" Peter followed her, matching her pace despite their vast body differences

"For blubbering all over your shirt, here" Naomi shrugged off the coat "Take this back, I only have one duffle bag to take with me"

"Keep it on, it's not that far to the X-Jet anyway" Peter casually answered, missing the pure confusion on her face while she packed everything up. Naomi threw off the hoodie and shoved it in her bag, she kept the jacket, she did feel a bit guilty for it though

"OK. That's everything"

The pair found Logan close with the asshat still over his shoulder, the four made their way through the backstreets reaching a typical abandoned building _'What the Hell is an 'X-Jet'?'_ How would it fit in here?'

She wondered to herself as the entered the building following Peter and Logan.

Light beamed from the top of the building, showing it was missing all of its roof but that wasn't what caught her off guard, it was the 'X-Jet' a modified sleek black-coloured Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Naomi had never seen such a device however her fellow Mutants acted as if it was an everyday occurrence to witness such a thing. Logan caught Naomi's reaction, trying not to smirk. Peter was oblivious. His mind was focussed on what Xavier was going to say to him. She wasn't sure why - maybe security reasons - she looped her arm around Peter's, which he didn't notice either.

Naomi wanted to plug herself into her iPod however the questions nagging at her mind stopped her "So, how the Hell can Mutants afford such an item? No offence but you don't exactly scream 'rich' or 'loaded' with dirty trench coat and old shirt, lumber jack down there doesn't either" She gestured toward Logan in the Pilot's seat.

"We are not rich or anything like that, everything is run by Professor Xavier and I have no idea where he gets all the money from. I never thought to ask about it"

Naomi laughed. Something she hadn't done in a long time, it's felt strange but a good strange "You never thought... How long have you been staying with this Xavier guy?"

"Most my life Like 7 or 8 years now"

"Wow, seriously? All that time and you never thought to ask, 'Hey Professor, where did you find all the money to make this high-tech fighter jet?' I would of asked day one" Naomi was regaining her confidence she'd lost from her sudden breakdown.

"I was not really in the question mood when I first came to the school"

"What do you mean? Surely you'd have at least _one_ question on your mind"

Logan peeked back, debating whether or not to interrupt the current conversation. He knew that this subject was touchy for Peter, of course Naomi was unaware, but he'd step if needed, what surprised him though was that instead of turning silent Peter answered her question "I had just lost everything, my home, my family and my life in general. I woke up in a Hospital just before Storm and Jean picked me up. I spent my first few weeks hidden in my room alone or Logan kept me company and sometimes Xavier did too. I was just trying to process everything that happened all at once and it took a lot longer than expected"

"Damn, I thought I had a crazy childhood. I'm sorry about that Peter, I know what it's like to lose your whole world, growing up with the world on your shoulders... It's tough but you power through it" Naomi replied

"Yeah," Peter spoke back to Naomi. They bold held the same saddened haunted expression of their faces.

It wasn't long until they reached the landing bay within the school grounds. A man in a wheelchair that Naomi guessed was Xavier was already waiting for them, his expression was unclear which made both Peter and Naomi uneasy. Logan carted off the asshole activist into an interrogation room for Xavier to question later on in the day.

The Professor held his gaze with Peter and Naomi and told them to follow him. Peter immediately followed while Naomi was hesitant, adjusting her duffle before catching up.

The trio moved through a hallway into a lift and followed the Professor into his Office. It wasn't until Xavier reach his side of the desk before he gave Peter his firm words

"Peter, you should know that you cannot display your powers in such a heavily public place unless absolutely necessary, people lives being in danger or in a case of life or death. You do remember that Mutants are still shunned by mankind. We need to be careful of our appearances to the public"

Naomi had to butt in, Peter shouldn't be taking the heat for her mistake "It wasn't his fault! I'm the one who the douchebag came after, I used my powers without thinking and Peter protected me. No-one noticed his little magic card display except me, the asshat and Peter. If you want or need to blame anyone, it's me".

The three were stuck inside a heavy silence. Peter was shocked to Naomi's sudden standing up to Xavier however he knew the Professor was right; talk first, use powers later was supposed to be the underlined motto for all Mutant-kind

Professor Xavier cleared the silence lightly demanding Peter go to his room, sensing Peter's plastered face along with his struggling internal turmoil. He peaked down to Naomi asking if she would follow him to a guest room. Once directing Naomi to a spare room Peter was ready to shut himself away in his room so took a detour towards Logan's room, who was already waiting for Peter, wondering if he was alright.

Peter shook his head "Not really" he muttered "I need to calm down, thought you could help me out"

Logan gestured to his room with his head, arms crossed firmly over his chest "It's all yours" Peter rushed into the room. His mask wiped off without a second thought, bursting into tears after everything washed over him, Xavier telling him off, explaining his story to Naomi along with the massive crowds... he couldn't bottle it up any longer. Logan coaxed Peter into a hug, uttering the phrases "It's alright" and that "He was there for him" while rubbing his back.

The pair stood for so long they lost track of time. Peter was completely wiped of all energy now. Logan sensed what was about happen, so he coaxed Peter to the bed, dropping him onto the mattress. Peter whispered his thanks before passing out.

After Peter escorted her to the spare room Naomi entered with slight hesitance, she watched Peter slink away noticing the obvious shake in his hands but chose not to voice her thoughts.

Entering the room, it felt alien to have something as simple as a room, it was bordering on nearly six years since Naomi ran away from home, living on the streets and inside Grand Central Station.

The room felt... wrong. It didn't belong to her, the only property she owned was slung over her shoulder. Propping her duffle bag onto the bed which she didn't even want to try and lie on in case it swallowed her whole like a squishy marshmallow that she'd sink to the floor.

The four-wall space was neutral, it was simple and obviously mass-manufactured, 'No doubt all the rooms look like this' Naomi pondered to herself spitefully. Taking a deep breath, she unloaded her duffle bag onto the bed, the portrait slipped out facing down.

"Mom, would do you think now? I'm stuck inside a strange school filled with Mutants. Guess I'm not alone anymore. I made a friend today" Naomi perched on the edge of her bed, sitting on her lump of clothing instead of the bed covers which were despicably clean and far too soft for Naomi's taste "I wish you could see this, Mom. I wish you could have seen me when I ran away, I hope you were proud of me that day"

Lowering the picture onto her lap Naomi fought off crying for the second time in one day. She wasn't supposed to cry; babies cried, and she was no baby. Not anymore.

Scrubbing her face slowly with her hands she huffed out a long breath through her nose she abandoned her things - including the photo which she carefully placed on the bedside table in the room that was far too cold and isolating to Naomi. She wandered in search for some form of familiar comfort, she could vaguely hear Logan speaking to someone. The Wolverine exited a room that could have been anyone's. tucking herself behind a wall yet still keeping an eye on the door to stay unseen from Logan he sluggishly moved away muttering something incoherent. Naomi dashed in while she had the chance.

Finding Peter unconscious or asleep made him seem so vulnerable. Clearly wiped out from the day's events Naomi could relate. Sucking up her pride she curled herself up at the foot of the bed. She could feel intense heat radiating from Peter's body which helped as she was freezing. Shimming up against Peter's side Naomi rested her head against the side of his ribs she curled up against him making herself comfortable. It shouldn't have been as east as it was, Hell they had only known each other for a few hours yet she felt comfortable doing this which shouldn't have been happening, but it was, and no-one was stopping it.

For the first time in nearly six years she slept soundly. Security washed over her, for good measure she clenched up her hand within his shirt to hold Peter again.

Peter blearily woke up from the movement next to him, he was only just aware of someone lying next to him. Unable to care he wrapped his arm around whoever was there and drifted back to sleep. Peter couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well either.


	4. Chapter 4

Naomi woke up first, looking around to realise she was now located in was an unfamiliar room. Uncertain fear dwelled for a moment however the weight of an arm around her sent relief through her instead now aware she wasn't alone. Naomi turned to her right to see whose arm was around her; Peter's - who's coat was still wrapped her from last night, she sworn that she'd given it back at some point but obviously not. Getting up without disturbing her sort-of accomplice Naomi threw off Peter's coat from her shoulders to drape it over him as he was still asleep. The younger Mutant examined Peter's room noticing several superbly nerdy posters dotted around the walls, a laptop and a small cupboard but didn't bother to check its contents.

As quietly as possibly Naomi left the room, gently shutting the door behind her, now facing into a hallway that gave an honest 'maze' vibe to it that right now Naomi didn't want to attempt to conquer this time in the morning. Tip-toeing through the never-ending stream of corridors and doors - which all contained the same layout - she was sure she'd wandered in circles after ten minutes in search for her room however on her way managed to bump into Xavier who almost seemed to of been expecting her.

Xavier gave her a questioning look. Naomi stayed quiet but going red in the face becoming completely flustered, unable to say anything coherent. Seconds from running away from embarrassment Naomi was stopped by Xavier who led back to her room. It turned out she was about three doors down from her desired location. Sighing she entered her room without much of a 'Goodbye' Naomi dove into her room to shut out the rest of the world for today.

Peter woke up a few hours later with his trench coat covering most of his body. Peter wondered how he got it back the last he remembered Naomi had it on he then remembered that someone had been curled into him last night as he had woken up for a spilt second. Peter figured it had been Naomi probably unable to sleep he had been the same for the first few days at the school but thanks to Logan he eventually felt at ease in the school and now he viewed it as his home.

It was Monday and although Peter didn't have classes anymore he still assisted teachers and set up experiments. While he was walking to one of the classrooms he bumped in to Xavier with Naomi and ask him to give Naomi a tour of the school as she would be starting soon Peter agreed and started showing Naomi around after she was pried from her room.

Peter started with the kitchen and then moved throughout the school showing her the rec rooms, classrooms and although he was not supposed to show her the underground base where all the X-Men equipment and supplies he even showed her around the forgotten sections of the school and even where he would go if he was having and meltdown and there was no one to help.

Peter had finished Naomi's tour realising Naomi probably had nothing to do so he asked, "Would you like to hang out?"

Naomi was not sure how to take this so questioned "What is there do to around this building"

Peter rambled off with ideas, "Whatever you like there are games in the rec room or tv in your room if you don't want to see anyone. That's what I usually do" He let out a slight laugh after saying that.

Naomi considered her options, it was either awkwardly linger or sit in a game or TV room full of people she didn't know, spend time with Peter who she'd slept in the same bed with one night prior or lock herself away in her room. "I think I'll stick to my room for now. If and when I get classes and start to build my knowledge of the people around me then I'll come out and play games or hang out or whatever. I think alone time works at this second"

"OK, well you know where my room is if you need me" replied Peter.

"Yeah, sure. Listen, don't expect me to be a little bed bug every night. That was a one-time thing. I was lost, and you were vulnerable" Naomi spoke with venom and spite, she didn't open herself up to people not anymore. She'd learned from her mistakes. Naomi walked away to her room and locked the door before Peter could say a word.

Feeling a bit defeated Peter want off to his room thinking he should have just kept his mouth shut, he was also curious as to what caused the complete 180 in Naomi s mood but didn't bother to investigate.

While all this was going on Logan and Xavier were questioning the anti-mutant leader; they didn't learn much except it was large and violent. The activists were currently rounding up Mutants like cattle inside a warehouse where they were getting beaten, killed or worse with most the prime members of the X-Men gone Xavier told Logan to take who he thought could hold their own enough to free the Mutants. Logan called Peter and Storm as they were the only ones in the school who had enough combat skills for this designated mission.

Peter was in his room when his phone went off he heard Logan on the other end with Storm "Get down to the X-Jet as quickly as possible, we have an urgent mission" Peter rushed putting his shoes on, grabbing his cards and anything else he thought he would need and run past all the room including Naomi's but he avoided her and entered the lift to the hanger where Logan and Storm where waiting.

It was not long until they were at the warehouse. Storm summoned up a thick layer of fog with an uncut rumbling of thunder to cover up any form of their arrival. Storm landed the Jet as close as possible. All three came up with a plan; they decided Storm should go in through the roof, Logan would take the front door and Peter would go in the back. It was not long until the fighting broke out which Logan and Storm dealt with while Peter was trying to free the Mutants out the back door however a few Mutant Haters took notice of Peter's meddling.

The activists moved in for the attack, one armed himself with a knife and crept up behind Peter. Logan and Storm were far too busy notice, Peter was still preoccupied with his fellow Mutants until he felt the sheer agony and fire burst through him as the blade impacted his body, being stabbed in the side caused him to drop to the ground. In an act of defence Peter swung, managing to hit the guy square in the face however in the process the blade had been ripped out again, Peter's opponent still had a grip on the handle. Peter struggled to Summon one of his cards from his failing concentration and shaking hands. Dark Magician appeared "Incapacitate, don't kill..."

Dark Magician then used his own magical abilities to fight back. It sensed something was wrong – Peter had been stabbed again, this time in the leg by the same activist – Magician blasted the activist back before vaporising. Peter backed himself against the wall thankfully all the Mutants were now out if danger. He reached for his phone still in extreme pain and called for backup. Logan was there first, seeing all the blood sent him in a panic and shouted for Storm. Both Storm and Wolverine put their arms around Peter, easing him to his feet to escort the captive Mutants to the safety of the X-Jet.

Storm flew the X-jet as fast as it could physically move. Peter was losing a lot of blood, Logan was sitting in the back trying his best to stabilise Peter, attempting to stunt the blood flow however Peter lost consciousness. Logan tried to get him back, but he was fighting a losing battle. It thankfully didn't take long to get back to the school, Storm took Peter to the med bay as she obtained more medical experience. Logan took the Jet back out to drop the Mutants they had saved to hospital to make sure they were properly attended too, their med bay was far too small for all of them, luckily Xavier had connections that wouldn't question the children's abilities. All that was playing on Logan's mind was Peter's condition and if he'd be OK however he also knew Storm would be doing everything in her power same to save their comrade.

The next morning the school was buzzing with rumours of what had happened. Naomi was still in her room but could still hear the students talk "Haven't you heard? Logan, Storm and Peter helped free a bunch of mutants and Peters in med bay"

It was then Naomi heard a knock on her door she opened it to see it was Xavier asking if he could come in Naomi nodded and closed the door behind him. She sat on the edge of her bed as Xavier began to explain the current situation "Peter was on a mission yesterday and he was stabbed twice. He is in a stable condition now, but he is weak due to losing a lot of blood" Xavier gestured for the young Mutant to follow.

At first Naomi didn't know what to say, she stared at Peter's unconscious form, granted she hadn't remembered seeing Peter asleep so this felt alien to her. She wasn't sure why she cared, she practically told him "Piss off, I don't care about you" but now... seeing Peter as he was made her regret every word she threw at him. Having the urge to redeem herself she whispered in a strained tone "I'll stay with him. He'll need someone when he wakes up later"

A few hours later Peter started to come around, unsure of where he was – a sick feeling of Deja Vu settled in his gut. He could feel other presence in the room but didn't have enough energy to ask questions so he just opened his eyes and to his surprise he saw Naomi who was watching over him - in her own way he supposed - her boot clad feet were propped up on the corner edge of his bed, her hands were clasped behind her head while she stared out to nowhere.

Peter tried to move and almost immediately regretted it, feeling all of his injuries extent nearly brought him to tears. "Hey, stop it. I was instructed to tell you to keep still by all means possible. Your stitches are fresh and need time to patch you up. Plus, all of the blood you lost, you're lucky to be alive Detective Magic-Man"

Peter just gazed towards the familiar voice to his right, it took a second to recognise it was Naomi. He looked at her, he was far too tired to respond so he just nodded to let Naomi know he had heard her. "Good, now go back to sleep. We'll continue talking when you're able to" Peter held his hand out and almost instantly went back to sleep. Naomi took the hand and gently squeezed.


	5. Chapter 5

Eight hours had passed until Peter woke up again, he maintained a little energy to stay awake and lucid this time. Peaking over to his right to check if Naomi was there, which she was and still holding his hand he squeezed it to gain her attention. Her hair had draped over her face, hiding it meaning Peter had no clue if she was awake or not. Naomi's head snapped up to face Peter "So, you're awake now. Awesome"

Where am I?" Peter asked, his voice hoarse from dehydration

"The Med Bay under the school. You've been out cold for nearly nine hours. Here, drink this" Naomi reported handing a bottled water to Peter who accepted it gratefully.

Remnants of the mission came back to Peter, in remembrance he droned out a long and loud sigh "Any chance you know what happened afterwards? I passed out before I could see what happened to the others"

"Just what I was told from Xavier" Naomi shrugged "The Mutants you saved are currently in hospital being treated. You saved them at the cost of being stabbed twice. Way to go, hero" Naomi finished, jabbing at him sarcastically.

Peter laughed and almost immediately regretted it as it hurt – a lot "I suppose that's what I get for not paying attention" Peter lifted his bed covers up to see the damage, he saw both wounds the one in his side near his ribs and the other one in his leg just above his knee.

"Yeah" Naomi agreed, brushing her fingers through her hair pushing it back "You'll gain some nasty scars and I think I overheard something about a walking stick" Naomi sighed, watching Peter lower the sheets to cover up the damage "Listen, I... need to talk to you about my tone earlier"

"OK" Peter had nearly forgotten about Naomi snapping at him earlier.

"I'm sorry for acting like that, it was bratty and immature. I just felt a little overloaded about everything you had told me, plus the tour and then you wanted to hang out. Truth is I felt a little suffocated but that gives me no right to just yell at you for it. Hell, if I had been there you probably wouldn't be in the state you are now. You need someone to watch your back if you aren't going to do it yourself. So, I propose... me taking that position. You get a partner and I get to learn about this whole place around me. Hope you can forgive me"

"Of course, I forgive you" Peter started "You should see what I can be like" He laughed again not learning from his first mistake "As for you coming on missions with me, that's up to Xavier to decide. You've not had any training from us yet"

"Oh" Naomi was slightly disappointed by his second statement "Well thanks for accepting my apology. I fear what you could be like unattended. Your Magic Cards plus alcohol" Naomi fake shuddered to herself "God, what a mess that would be. Care to elaborate on what you'd be like?"

"Once when I was having a bad meltdown Xavier came to see if he could help and I just told him to fuck off and leave me alone he did not talk to me for a few days as he thought I was in a mood with him"

Naomi snorted, twice "Wow. I'm surprised he didn't kick, well not kick, but throw you outta here for that. I may of avoided school but I knew that if you used such brazen language on a teacher your ass was as good as floored. He talks to you now though" She tilted her head, crinkling her eyebrows "But he does give you a harsher tone, maybe he's still holding a grudge?"

"He means well it's just he knows I sometimes need a firm hand" Peter reasoned.

"That... sounds familiar" Naomi tone drifted, almost experienced. Her eyes turned dead while she hid behind a mask of a faked smile.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, seeing right though the mask as he had used his far too often to not notice.

Naomi shook her head "Story for another day. I've don't know you enough to spill my guts out just yet. I'm not a Chick-Flick type of girl" Naomi made a showing of getting up "Rest up, I'm heading to the bathroom, so I'll be back in a few minutes" The younger Mutant spun on her heel and not-so-subtly left the room in a hurry.

Naomi exited the room, planting herself against the nearest wall. Shoving down everything she had to repress deep down was a daunting task, but she pulled through eventually. She raced to a bathroom to throw up instead, washing her mouth out and splashing water on her face afterwards she steadied her breathing before returning to Peter "Thought you'd be asleep. But maybe nine hours is enough for one day, right?" Naomi hummed, smirking a bit.

Peter could see Naomi was not really happy but also knew that it was not something she was willing to talk about so just played along "Yeah, just wish I could get out of this bed" He said while smiling at Naomi.

Naomi chuckled "I'm sure you'll be running laps around this place before anyone knows it. So," Naomi quickly rearranged herself to sit cross-legged on the chair "what do you do apart from escort newbies and fail at missions?" She lightly joked.

"Assist classes and ready equipment for experiments. I also stand in as a Substitute if no teachers are in I teach although it's very rare".

"I'm guessing your whole thing with Meltdowns get in the way of teaching full time?" Naomi cautiously asked.

"It can do, yes "

"Damn. If you didn't have them, would you wanna teach full time? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure the missions are great - when they _don't_ go wrong, but could you really see yourself tucked behind a desk for the rest of your life in that trench coat - speaking of - do you have _any_ other clothes? You're lucky it didn't get any bloodstains on it, you should at least have a spare shirt cause the other one's a goner".

"A couple of shirts but that's about it and no I could not see myself being behind a desk all the time"

"You told me a bit about your past, that you lost everything, but you never told me how. You don't have to dive into all of that if it's too much for you. I don't exactly have much wriggle room. I've barely told you anything about me, you found me in a Train Station of all places" Naomi changed the subject.

"Basically, my powers activated, and I summoned one of my most powerful cards and it killed my family and destroyed my house. I passed out and awake a few days later in a hospital" Peter said with a sad face and tears in his eyes "No point keeping the truth from you if I did not tell you, Logan or one of the others would. Probably best to hear it from me instead."

"Whoa. Shit. I suppose I can relate, because I'm a Mutant and stronger than Humans genetically I killed my Mother in Birth. I'm sorry about your family, there's no way you could have known at the time" Naomi took his hand again, squeezing it again for his comfort.

Peter was quiet, he still blamed himself for what happened, _'It's not like it was someone else'_ he thought. He put a blank face on.

"Hey" She snapped her fingers in front of him twice "Leave those blank looks to me" Naomi could feel the guilt radiating from Peter "I get it, I really do but you have to move on. It's sucks, it's _hurts,_ and it takes a while, but you _have_ to in order to live your life like you want to. If you keep yourself and your mind locked away in the past the present, you will never get anywhere. Trust me" Naomi gave him a determined stare, her expression was saddened but concentrated "Come on. Look at me and tell me you _can_ move on"

Peter kept himself silent, he was either unable to say something or just didn't want to. Neither Mutants knew so they stayed in that silence. Peter could feel himself ready for an emotional breakdown, Naomi sensed his emotional breakdown so climbed into his bed - wary of his injuries - and gave him a side hug, shushing him gently "It's OK. It's OK, I'm here"

Peter began to cry all his attempts to keep it in failed he just lay their cry and repeating a mantra of "Sorry" and "It's all my fault" He was gone, all his barriers were down.

"Don't you dare blame yourself. I doubt you even knew about your powers when your accident happened. Never apologise for who you are, yes you made a mistake but let me ask you this; how many lives do you think you've saved over those you hurt? Calm down first and answer me" Naomi soothed, playing with his hair and rubbing his arm.

"I don't know" Was his mumbled response.

"Neither do I but I do know you aren't to blame and that the weight on your shoulders needs to be lifted, only you can do that. The first step is forgiving yourself"

Peter just sighed and said "How can I? I know I couldn't have known but still it was me who did it"

"You didn't know. How the Hell are you meant to control something you know nothing about? I'm sure your family would have forgiven you no matter what happened. They loved you and I'm sure they still do. Buck up, you're meant to be a member of the X-Men, right?" Naomi whispered, pretending to have a go at him by the end to shift the mood over.

Peter laughed replaying "Yes I am, and I suppose you're right" Peter said that more for her than himself, but he could see where see was coming from its just he was not sure he could.

"I'm not a telepath but I can hear your doubt. Stop it. You are a great person and just took _two_ stabs wounds for a pack of Mutants, so they could survive. I'm sure your family would be damn proud of that"

Peter just let out a long sigh saying "Yeah" he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So am I by the way. I didn't see you to be the type to stick your out on the line like that. You got balls, Peter" Naomi laughed.

Peter joined in too, laughing too hard that he felt the sharp pain in his side.

"Hey, I felt that. Stop it, I can stitch up your trousers not fresh wounds" Naomi sat up, brushing Peter's hair out of his face "It's good to see you smile and laugh too. I doubt you get to do that often"

"You'd be right" Peter replied. He couldn't remember the last time he had.

"Well I'm good for something then. Want any other visitors bar me? I'm sure Wolverine is twiddling his claws to find out about you"

"Not yet I just want to stay here and go back to sleep" Peter was tired from the breakdown and had only really been up for a short time.

"OK. So, do you mind if I stretch my legs properly then I'll come back to watch over you again"

"No, on you go. I would do the same if I could"

"Great. I'll be back in a few minutes. If, and it's a big if, I see Storm or Logan or whoever I'll let them know your better and resting" Naomi winked, carefully extracting herself from Peter. Her body cracking in protest of moving.

"Don't strain yourself!" Naomi called from behind the door.

"Are you sure you're not Psychic?" Replayed Peter.

"Positive" Naomi poked her head in the door "I never told you my Power, did I? I'll let you guess and the next time you wake up I'll let you know if your right. Get some rest" She patted the door frame with her fingers.

Peter closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep.

Naomi breathed out all the tension of the past half hour. Never had she experienced anything quite like that. Taking a slower lap around the Med Bay she returned to see Peter sleeping with his head facing the door. Naomi planted herself on the uncomfortable chair "I think you and I will have a good friendship Peter, you'll be my first friend, so I hope I don't blow this. I guess your my Win. Thanks" Naomi stared off to the wall, thinking about anything that could keep her mind occupied. She didn't see herself leaving anytime soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Warning! Warning! Warning!**

 **Disclaimer Alert:** There will be mentioning's / brief descriptions of Child Abuse. If you have a faint heart skip over some of this Chapter.

Minor mentions of Blood too in case people can't handle that either.

Minor Sweating too.

Peter had restless sleep. His mind flashing vivid repeats of his stabbings. He woke up feeling only just that little bit better. For once Naomi wasn't there, instead she left a note on the chair, which had been pushed into arm's reach

 _ **-Was called away by the Prof. Not ignoring you on purpose. Here's my number. Text whenever-**_

On the back was Naomi's number. The weighted feeling lifted slightly from Peter's shoulders.

Peter managed to sit up against the nagging pain. He searched for his phone thinking it was best to text Logan believing the Wolverine was making Xavier's and Storm's ear bleed from his worry. That idea made Peter chuckle.

 _To Logan_

 _From Peter_

 _-I'm OK. Feeling weak and sore as Hell but OK-_

Afterwards Peter considered texting Naomi. He gave her a simple _**-Hi. I'm awake and OK-**_ once complete Peter's mind wandered back specifically to Naomi's last words before he fell asleep the last time in her company.

It wasn't long until Logan made his way into the Med Bay to check on Peter, relief filled the Wolverine "Hey Kid, how you are holding up?"

Peter shrugged "I'm OK. Need better sleep, wish I could get outta here already"

Logan chuckled "You will be, take it easy when you are out of here. You need time to heal"

"Unlike some" Peter quipped under his breath but of course the Wolverine's ears picked it up. Both of them laughed for a few minutes

"Need anything, Kid?"

"Uh, something to eat and maybe my Laptop or a book. There's nothing down here to do" Peter requested

Logan nodded "I'll see what I can do" He left to grab Peter some decent food knowing Peter needed it.

Once again Peter was left alone in his bed. His mind began to drift back to key phrases that left Naomi's mouth during his Meltdown _"You can't blame yourself"_ or _"You didn't know"_ by all means Peter understood where she was coming from but doubted he'd ever be able to forgive himself fully.

He considered consoling his thoughts and feelings to the Professor or Logan, but Peter knew they'd just say the same things as Naomi. The term 'Broken Record' was not something Peter desired. His thoughts were interrupted by Logan returning, food - consisting of soup and a sandwich - was passed to him. Logan was also carrying a book under his arm.

"I would have brought your Laptop but there's no plugs in here" Logan apologised, leaving Peter to eat in peace because no-one wanted to be watched while eating that was always uncomfortable.

Before Logan was out the door completely Peter called out "Which book is it?" The front cover was layered, blocking the image and title

"One of your favourites, Harry Potter. Give me _some_ credit, Kid"

Peter laughed, "You know me too well"

Logan left properly to allow Peter to eat and read in peace. Peter slowly made his way through the soup, he didn't want to test his stomach by downing it all at once. Placing the empty bowl on the chair once he finished. Once Peter started the book he didn't put it down, completing it without hesitation. He hoped the day had slipped through his fingers; the later it was in the day the closer he would be to getting out of this bed and back to his regular routine.

Not long after finishing the book Naomi came in. She'd finished a meeting with Xavier - she'd texted Peter again let him know she wasn't avoiding him, she was simply busy.

"Hey. How are you? How'd the meeting go with Xavier?" Peter opened with.

"Uh. Well, I asked about being in the X-Men and you're right, he said, and I quote "You need more training to work under this team. I am aware you know self-taught martial arts however that is not enough" so that sucked but on the plus side I was told you would be in charge of training me and some of the other newbies if you're up to - when you've recovered obviously - uh... I've also been asserted to be the one who helps you during your 'Off Moments' or Meltdowns. I'll let you decide what to with all of that. I told him bits and pieces about my past, rejecting him from entering my mind. I also didn't tell him my Powers. I don't trust him to know yet"

"I don't know either" Peter shot back trying to think on what her potential power could be, but he hadn't seen any hints or giveaways yet.

"OK. So, what do you think of me being your... for a lack of a better word "Carer" during your Meltdowns or bad days or whatever?"

"Why do you change the subject like that?" Peter wondered "I'm fine with you helping me with them"

"Alright. I changed it because I need to develop a trust in people before I tell them my secret, I mean, it's probably nothing compared to your power, but I like to keep it secret" Naomi responded, avoiding eye contact.

"Well you've seen mine; I can Summon monsters and stuff like that from any form of cards I get my hands on" Peter told Naomi "I can understand if you want to keep it to yourself but if I am going to teach you to be part of X-Men, so I will find out sooner or later"

Naomi sighed "OK. It's not as impressive as you think, it's probably anti-climactic however," Naomi clicked her fingers and Shape Shifted into Peter "I figured you should find out first" Her voice was now a clashing fusion of her own and Peter's.

"I mean, the clicking is for show, but I like to make it seem a little better than ordinary Shape Shifting. My weakness is Silver, it burns like an absolute Bitch and can kill me if I'm stabbed or my head's been sliced off with the material. Can't tell you how many times I had to suppress screaming in agony when I was given change from money at Grand Central"

Peter was gobsmacked he had heard of Mutants with Shape Shifting abilities but had never witnessed it. "That is incredible. Sorry to hear about your weakness, must be a pain in the ass".

Naomi chuckled, reverting back her herself "Thanks, and it's unbelievable; 5p and 10p coins were the worst. Little shits stung worse than the nippiest of paper cuts" Naomi then pulled a contemplated face "Even cutlery sometimes I had to be wary of. The looks I got were... baffled to say the least. Who expects someone to flip out over coins or a fork?" She joked.

Peter laughed "I can imagine you should see the look on my face when people used to ask me if I want to play Yu-Gi-Oh or Magic Cards with them"

"Oh no..." Naomi smiled while she dragged her hands down her face, making her lips sag "I think they'd be thoroughly impressed with your accuracy of the game".

"Was that a pun Naomi?"

Naomi burst into laughing "Not my intention but I'm glad I did it"

Peter was laughing as well but could not laugh as hard as Naomi as he feared he might undo his stiches and did not want to stay one second longer than necessary.

Peter changed the subject "So do you really want to become a member of X-Men? You will be expected to do what I did put your life on the line for people you don't know and help your team" Peter explained to Naomi.

"Of course. I wouldn't be much of a 'Carer' if I let you stick your neck out without anyone covering your back. It's not the first time I've been in 'mortal danger' in the real world against people who despise Mutants" Naomi replied with strength.

"OK. As soon as I'm able to move around again I will train you and whoever else Xavier has planned for the Junior team"

"Great" Naomi breathed "Do you want me to stay or do you want your own company for the rest of the night? I can get some cards... we could play Solitaire"

Peter laughed "Nice try and if you don't mind would prefer company as I've finished my book"

Cool. I'll be as quiet as a mouse. Seriously, I can Shift into one if you want. I'll be Scabbers" Naomi twitched her eyebrows twice.

"No!" Peter yelled "I hate that bloody Pettigrew rat for betraying the Potters"

Naomi laughed "Damn, someone's a Potterhead. Which House are you in, Hero?"

"Ravenclaw and Proud"

"Why do I feel like your referencing something else?" Naomi quipped, raising an eyebrow again.

"Nope just proud to be a Ravenclaw" relayed Peter.

"Awesome. I have no clue where I'd be, maybe Hufflepuff, someone who just sits in the back, not given much attention for the right reasons".

"Just and loyal I think that might be the perfect house for you"

"'Just and loyal'? Never saw myself as a lap dog"

"Didn't mean it like that" Peter said in an apologetic tone while shaking his head "I just think that you are loyal to people you view as friends"

"I don't have friends, I just have you"

"You have been kind and loyal so far. You even stood up to Xavier. That will spread word, you might get some attention for that"

"True, I think that may have inadvertently started our 'friendship' or acquaintance, depending how you look at it" Naomi shrugged.

"Yep" Peter nodded.

"Whoops" Naomi joked crossing her arms over her chest, planting her feet lapped over each other on his bed.

Peter laughed too hard as he received a massive shooting pain up his side. He grabbed his side letting out a hollered "Son of a Bitch!" which was no doubt heard by the entire school.

"Whoa, easy their Detective Potty Mouth. You know, I'm sure the school heard that. I'm surprised there's not a tumbling of feet and wheels to ask, 'What the Hell was that about?' I think you should try to take a breather before we continue" Naomi suggested calmly. "Let me check, I have a basic knowledge of stitches" Naomi swung herself to her feet making her way to Peter's cupped and injured side.

Peter just nodded and lifted the bed sheet up. A few of the stitches has popped, nothing Naomi couldn't handle; this wasn't her first rodeo and it obviously wasn't going to be her last.

"Alright, this is an easy fix, lie down and try hard not to squirm, if not I'll need to tie you down" Peter flashed her a look of fear and confusion "Relax, I've done this before. I'm not a fan of needles but open, bleeding wounds take priority" Naomi pressed a towel against the crimson liquid oozing opening in Peter's side.

Naomi washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves and began prepping to patch Peter back up, she checked the needle was kosher and gave a sigh of relief that she wouldn't have to wear those static-fuelled gloves. The idea of latex made her shiver. She threaded the needled, knotted it twice and returned to Peter "This will take a few minutes, it'll sting like a mother, so I'd try distracting yourself. I'm needing all my concentration, so I won't be talking until I've finished my task"

She didn't wait for a response getting straight to work. Peter groaned and nearly leapt out of bed after the needle entered the broken skin but the younger had strength, it baffled Peter that she could hold him down so effortlessly with one hand "I can't help you if you're going to do that. Don't make me restrain you"

Poor choice of words on her end. Peter surrender, humming Harry Potter to distance himself as Naomi worked quickly but gently.

" _Why should I care you're bleeding? Fix yourself up, you brat!" Her Father slammed the door on her face, at five years of age darkness was still intimidating. Blindly patching up her wound was disastrous to say the least, but she got the bleeding to stop... eventually._

 _" My shoulder! You little Bitch!" He charged at the seven-year-old, who had armed herself with a kitchen knife, her Father swung the crowbar fiercely whacking her jaw with relentless force. Her jaw was broken but he Shifting abilities allowed that to heal once she'd stolen multiple random kid's images from the street - sometimes being a Shifter paid off. It was rare she was thankful for her 'gift'. She was a monster in her Father's eyes and it wasn't as if her Mother was around to protect her. Their neighbours blocked it all out, despite Authorities knocking on their door Naomi never said a word against her Father sure that they'd hate her just as much because she was a Mutant, a freak, something that deserved to be punished in the eyes of many and she wasn't about to stand up to them._

 _"Look at what you did! I had restrain you!" He hissed in her ear as the ten-year-old was tied down with belts, her body spread out over the queen-sized bed. Silver was dangling above her, at any second ready to plunge onto her skin. He shoved the silver against her neck electing a scream to rip out of her gagged mouth and tears to cascade down her face._

Naomi had to blink all the echoing memories away as she finished with Peter, she taped some gauze onto the wound to keep it protected.

"There, all done. I would be careful still, but I think I did alright" Naomi cleaned up her 'mess' and replanted her butt on the plastic chair "Not bad, you only flinched once" She complimented, praying that her eyes were dry, and her smile was believable. Naomi had told Peter her ability, that was enough secrets for one day. If he asked she'd lie or just avoid it. She wasn't in the mood to share the tales of her lifetime just yet.


	7. Chapter 7

A week had passed. Peter was now out of the Med Bay (Thank God) however due to the second stab wound now had to walk with the aid of a walking cane - it was temporary but mandatory to use. Peter found a new respect for Professor Xavier thanks to his damned stick.

Peter was making his way to Naomi's room, he kept his promise to start training her along with other new members of the school to begin their training when ready. He wanted to give Naomi a nudge in the right direction as the others had already received Basic Training. Peter had remembered Naomi mentioning she knew how to defend herself and was intrigued to see what she could do. Peter reached Naomi's door and knocked.

"Yeah?" Naomi called, shrugging on a black hoodie "Come in"

Peter opened the door "Just your neighbourhood friendly cripple" Peter smiled

Naomi laughed "Good to see you using your third leg, I know you hate it but you gotta. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Peter and Naomi spent a lot of their time together in each other's rooms so visits like this were a regular occurrence.

"Well since I will be teaching you soon I wanted to see what you can do, so you are coming with me to the Danger Room as I know what training the rest of the class has have"

Naomi pulled a long face "'Danger Room'? Alright, let me get my Battle Armour on. Turn around" Peter complied, Naomi clicked her fingers to change. Her 'Battle Armour' consisted of her cropped viridian leather jacket, a cropped black t-shirt, black jeans and a pair of boots "All done. Mind explaining this a little bit, I mean, am I fighting people in this so-called 'Danger Room'?"

"It's training room with holographic tech that can create anything really from people to sentinels. Everything you might encounter on a mission, so it is not to be taken lightly I will be in the viewing deck controlling everything so nothing to bad should happen"

Naomi chuckled darkly "So, you watch us possibly get ourselves killed or seriously injured from a safe distance and then... what? You tell us 'good job' and pat us on the head. I thought the essence of training was to be up-close and personal, yes I know you and currently compromised and will be for the next few weeks, but it could be verbal training" Naomi didn't understand this technique at all, but she'd adapt, she always did.

"As I said I want to see what you can do this is not me teaching yet but I need to know everyone limits and what they can do I need to know you can handle yourself because anything could happen out there so that's why I'm wanting you to do this first before I start teaching" Peter replied, shunning the idea of treating his students like condescending pets on purpose.

"Alright" Naomi surrendered, letting out a long and loud sigh "I can see your point. Do we get a chance to meet and greet each other in this room or are we thrown into the deep end instantly?"

"It will depend on the situation I want to see you and the rest of the class in. In this case I just want to see what you are capable of so it will start easy and get harder until either you say that you can't do it anymore or I think you can't but when you and the rest of the class are in here it could be anything and not all of the situations are combat you will have to use your brains and powers."

"Expect the unexpected. So that's a no for getting to know at least the names of these new people. How many of us are going to be in this room?" Naomi asked, pushing her jacket sleeves up to rest at the crook of her elbows scrunched up.

"Just you today but when I start teaching the class the numbers could be anything for one or two to the whole class and yes you will get to meet your class mates and I hope you get to know them as they will be your team mates they will or at least I hope they will have your back"

"No pressure then. Peter, little word of advice; you can't always depend on people having your back. Sometimes, not all the time, it's good to only rely on yourself"

"Maybe but I personally will always be looking to make sure everyone on my team is OK, even you but I do appreciate the advice. Now let's get down and begin."

Naomi rolled her eyes without heat "Don't care about me like that, Peter. Fine. Let's go"

"Naomi, I do care what you think, and I will always be here for you even if you don't want it"

"Do you think we'll be able to stand each other that much?" Naomi joked.

Peter and Naomi walked towards the Danger Room. Peter only moved until the doors.

"Right, time to get started you use that door and I will only be up here"

"So, you activate the Death Machine and I fight for as long as I can? Got it"

"Yes, that's one way to put it"

"Go" She gestured to the lift. Naomi bobbed her head a little "OK. Just get through this" sighing she re-adjusted her sleeves so they would stay put "Now or never" She entered the room, quickly scanning around she gave Peter a thumbs up, giving him a quick glance with a side-smile.

"OK I'm about to start the simulation starting off easy; just a human and will work up to when I view, or you tell me that it's too much, got it? Peter told Naomi over the comms.

Naomi gave another thumbs up, "Just a Human..." She whispered to herself.

"Loading now" Peter loaded up the school and put a human in tactical gear but no gun he gave Naomi one little piece of advice on the com "remember to use your environment" and with that he started the simulation.

"Alright" Naomi called back readying herself. She angled her body, so she could pull her first punch with her hand, she would create a fake throw in order to spin around and elbow the guy in the face. Taking his dazed opportunity Naomi grabbed his arm and swung him over her shoulder, dropped and pinned him down "You want him dead or unconscious?"

"Only kill if we must but this is a simulation and a test it is up to you"

Naomi sighed "That sounds more like 'knock out' than kill. OK" Naomi drove her left fist across the guy's cheek, if he were real she'd have probably broken his cheekbone. He was out for the count. Naomi jumped up "Round two?"

This time Peter shot the difficulty level up. He put a team of mercs with gun in the simulation this time.

"Regular ammo or special bullets?" Naomi asked side-stepping near the four mercs. The One male from before had vanished.

Peter wanted to see how she would react so didn't respond as it was a test to see how good she was.

Naomi smirked, _'Guess I used up my talking points'_ she quickly thought to herself charging up to the closest enemy kneeing him in the gut. She swiped his gun and quick-fired out three shots, all head shots of course. She grabbed the last merc by his neck with her left hand she twirled him around and snapped his neck keeping the gun in her right hand. "Round three?"

"Alright, let's see how you do against this a spec op team of six armed with special bullets that could suppress a mutant's powers and knifes" Peter spoke over the microphone.

"So, they have silver" Naomi confirmed. "Right" She fired her remaining bullets towards her six opponents' kneecaps, effectively emptying her weapon and wounding her opponents. Vaulting herself into a front handspring her back heel connected with one man's head knocking him down, two others lept for her, one behind and one in front. Naomi jumped, kicking her legs into the front splits to distance herself from them. She crouched and rolled to a low defence, snarling at the three hovering over her.

Throwing herself to slide underneath the middle man's legs she spun around her legs to clip three sets of knees, which only worked on two, as she stood up one special op lunged with a silver knife pushing her backwards against the far wall, cornering her. She grabbed her wrists to keep the silver blade away from her, she could feel her skin already heating up so decided to lay a cheap shot in by smacking her thigh into his groin, she shoved with her right shoulder, her skin sizzling from the impact of the silver-plated armour. Using the stumbling man as her take-off she stepped over him to grab the following two's neck, one with her hands and other with her ankles to spin them around, twisting their bodies and neck to the point of breaking. Spinning herself upwards from the ground she lunged for the now-recovered man and shoved her thumbs into his eyes until she heard the defining squelch, yelling as he she did, she shoved his body to the ground.

Her last opponent aimed his gun and only missed her body by a hairline, she grabbed the closest operative and used him as a baton to disarm him. She lept on his front and cracked her skull into his taking them both down to the ground, creating razor sharp claws she slashed his throat open. Standing tall she glared at Peter. The agony in her shoulder returned, quickly checking while her surroundings disappeared "Crap" Her shoulder was now scarlet red, pussing and blistered.

Calming herself she awaited the next challenge.

Peter shut the simulation off seeing she was in pain "That will do. You did better than most on their first run I'm on my way down to make sure you're OK" Peter then got in the lift.

Naomi released an agonised breath, covering her wound as she walked up to the doors.

Peter met Naomi on the other side "You alright?" he knew she was covering it up but thought best to ask first.

"Yeah, I'm over the moon with pleasure" Naomi sarcastically replied planting herself against the opposing wall. Naomi waved a dismissive hand to Peter's fretting "It's not the worst thing that's ever happened, it's just takes a while to heal, even if it is just a graze. Next time I'll Shift into a Wolf and tear them all to shreds with my teeth." She finished flashing her teeth in a fake smile.

Peter laughed a little at that and then instructed "Come on, we're going to Med Bay as I can tell that you're hurt more than your telling me and I'm not taking no for an answer"

Naomi sighed "Fine. I'll tell you how to help if it gets you off my case" They started walking together "So how'd I do?"

"One of the best. You almost beat me, but I trained under Logan, so you can imagine what my training was like... Almost military" Peter laughed at what he had said "But you did very good especially for first time but need to use your surroundings a bit more like using a table for cover."

"To be honest I didn't notice the table. If I _had_ I would have broken it and used the legs like batons, keeping my enemies at a distance and avoiding this whole situation" Naomi finished, gesturing to her shoulder and re-applying pressure, sucking in a sharp breath. "I'll keep the whole 'Surroundings' thing in mind, thanks"

"It's fine now come on. Let me have a look"

"Fine, lead the way. It's not like one of us is always in there for one reason of another" Naomi chuckled.

Peter let out a small laugh and led her down the hall and into the Med Bay where she told her "Right, up on the bed and take off your jacket so I can see how bad it is" Peter washed his hands put some gloves on and put a screen up so nobody could see.

"You got it, House" Naomi joked, sitting on the bed. She attempted to lessen her hiss as the material was peeled off her wound, her t-shirt wasn't helping either, cotton plus blistering did not mix.

Peter missed the joke.

"OK. It's pretty easy to fix this; all you need is a bundle of ice, dripple it with some anaesthetic and press on the wound" Naomi said.

Peter didn't bother to respond, he wheeled her over the a semi-circled tube. He activated the scanner, silently taking in her information.

"I thought I just told you what to do" Naomi half-complained as Peter watched his scan. Peter continued to ignore Naomi to see how extensive the damage was while the computer saved the information and come up with the best treatment.

Naomi sighed "Am I having a one-way conversation here? You're the one who set it up, is this your way of apologising? I'm not angry or anything, I was stupid and didn't Shift myself into something that could of worked well in my favour"

"I am sorry, but I know everyone else's limits that I will be teaching bar yours and as for you telling me how to treat you I am sure that your method has worked but I am scanning you too see what the best way is to heal you. The scan can tell me everything that we don't have on your file. Two birds, one stone."

"All you're going to find is old scars and screwed up skin, my Mutants gene and maybe a fracture that didn't heal properly. I don't have any regenerative qualities. My Human side prevents that. I'm not a complete Mutant, remember? My Mother was the Mutant, my Dad was the Psychopath" Naomi rambled off forgetting she hadn't told Peter about her scars or injuries.

"OK... Not all Mutants have a Healing Factor, I mean I don't heal as fast as others. The only one I can think of is Logan. As for your other fracture and scars we can help. If you don't want to talk about any of it including your Dad, that's alright. I've gathered your past is a touchy topic, just know I'm here for you, no matter what" Peter took a second and added "It's our secrets, just you and me"

"I meant that I don't heal because of my power. You heal by putting down your Cards and not Summoning anything. ...Thank you but I'm not telling you anything yet, not in detail but yeah, thanks" Naomi awkwardly finished, remaining silent for the rest of the scan

After finishing the scan Peter could tell what had happened, maybe not all of her past but could easily tell someone had been abusing her putting together that it was probably her Father but kept this to himself "So why can't you heal?" Peter asked while still looking at the computer and see what was best way to help.

Naomi tilted her head, "I've never been able to. I guess it's due to being part-Human. I've not heard of Shifters being able to heal. I _can_ take shape of someone to hide the injuries but that's just a cover-up in a literal sense. It's still there, I just choose not to show it. If you use the Method I told you about five minutes ago the ice and the anaesthetic help and my skin does heal eventually. I _think_ , I'm not entirely sure but if I were to switch from one person to another like," Naomi snapped her fingers multiple times to explain "that I leave behind a trail of dead skin cells, it's like what babies are covered in when they are born. The leftovers could work as a treating mechanism"

Once Naomi was done explaining the computer beeped indicating the all of her results were complete. Due to being so similar to a regular burn Peter located and passed her a small ointment tube "Use this and it should help, I'm going to add it to your scan results. Everything is recorded on these computers, you should see my file"

Naomi smirked at Peter's humour to lighten the mood. She daydreamed about the length or density of Peter's file. She applied some ointment and retired to her bed for the day.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: WARNING, WARNING – This Chapter contains Child Abuse and Swearing**

You've been warned

 _Italics_ are Memories

This Chapter is a little shorter compared to the last one.

Peter was still breezing through Naomi's file, becoming so intrigued he had hardly noticed she left the room.

After spending an unknown about of time in the med bay alone still looking through Naomi's file page by page Peter decided he'd had enough of sitting in his uncomfortable chair long enough so then sent her file to himself on his laptop to retire to his bedroom where he continued to study Naomi's file in detail noting ever little detail of previous scars and injuries.

After a further few hours Peter was snapped back into reality as someone knocked on his door, quickly he closed his laptop effectively turning it off and went to the door to see who it was. However, whoever it was decided to let themselves in after knocking. Peter sat back down in anticipation to see it was Naomi herself

"Hey, I thought I could use some company" She muttered, closing the door behind it she perched herself against it, not looking Peter in the eye. She didn't want Peter to see her so weak.

Naomi had left the Med Bay in hope to pass out on her bed the second she made it there however her mind betrayed her. She kept pressure on her shoulder to remind herself she would dawn a new scar. It wasn't the first nor would it be the last.

Naomi laid down on her bed and began a stare-down with her ceiling which of course she lost and then spared a glance around her room, she hadn't personalised much yet; she had given it a few coloured strips on the wall for paint ideas and some furniture that she'd been picked out. She shook her head clear again.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to remember her first scar - which she had subconsciously covered with her fingertips. It was located across her left thigh, it was long and thin, faded from the years passed.

 _A three-year-old Naomi totted about her house while her Father was asleep on the couch. Naomi didn't know much about her powers or her weakness at the time, she was wearing some painful bruises and a black eye however she didn't pay much mind to it at such a young age._

 _She had attempted to tidy up from her Father screaming at her to do so whenever she made a mess. There wasn't much to do, there were a few glasses strewn about along with some plates too and some leftover food that she would eat while moving around. In her haste she had knocked over a glass that shattered dramatically on the floor. Her Father jumped up and slapped her in the face, causing her to fall and scatter and smash the plates she had held in her arms._

 _On the verge of tears Naomi curled away in vein as her Father dragged her by the roots of her hair into the kitchen. She was savagely thrown to the floor as her Father muttered incoherent swearing and cursing of the young girl. He leered over her as he drew out the largest kitchen knife_

" _Always remember, you deserve this" He taunted while he snagged her up by the scruff of her clothing he slashed across her thigh causing her to scream bloody murder. She was hurled to the floor after he demanded she "Shut the Fuck up" he stormed off, slamming the door behind him._

 _Sobbing she crawled over to a hanging kitchen towel to tie around her leg, she'd learn recently about stunting blood flow, the cut was deep but not enough to pass out from. Naomi tucked herself behind the bin, being hidden under the counter she curled up and cried into her knees hoping the pain would go away and that her Mom was there to hold her, to kiss her and tell her everything was alright._

 _Naomi wished she was loved and cared for during those torturous years._

The teen had subconsciously cried at the memory as she sobs faded back into her mind. Naomi had to remind herself she was strong, she had survived that Hell and was now cared about – or at least semi-cared about. She and Peter had created some form of bond but by no means was Naomi making this easy for herself.

Sniffling and wiping away her remnants of tears she ejected herself from her room and made the journey that was now programmed into her skull to Peter's room, it wasn't far from her own. Knocking first and letting herself in because she didn't want him to over-do It on his damaged leg she lamely opened with "Hey, I thought I could use some company" She had noticed Peter shutting his laptop a little faster not to be conspicuous, she didn't bother to say a word while she leaned against the door. She bowed her head to hide within her thick hair to cover the red puffiness of her eyes.

At first Peter had waited for Naomi to say something else, together they were never quiet, there was always some form of background noise with them so naturally Peter knew something was wrong. He immediately noticed she wasn't giving him any form of eye contact so didn't bother beating around the bush, waving over to himself he demanded "Come here"

Naomi was a little taken aback and had to calm herself down before sauntering over to Peter's bed, she'd dragged her feet on purpose and plopped herself down on his bed, mindful of his injury. Sulking and slouching her back Peter threw an arm around her and pulled her into a hug, she had to curve her body around, so it was relatively comfortable, he didn't let go and rubbed her back occasionally.

After a few minutes he thought it best to ask, "What happened?"

Naomi shrugged to herself, quickly determining whether to tell him the truth or not so she decided to loosely use the phrase "I had a weird dream"

Peter didn't believe her. "Come on Naomi you can tell me the truth I'm not going to tell anyone"

"It's nothing you need to worry yourself about, besides I can handle it. I'm not weak" Naomi wasn't sure who that last sentence was for.

"Naomi come on you can tell me I'm here for you no matter what it is, and I know you're not weak, you're one of the strongest people I know"

Naomi scoffed smiling despite herself "We've only known each other for about a week, Magic Hands"

Peter sighed "You know I'm not going to drop it unless you tell me what's bothering you"

Naomi was internally battling herself to tell him or not

"Face it, you're not getting out of this unless you tell me what's wrong"

Naomi caved "Fine. This injury," she pulled away gesturing to her numbing shoulder "just reminded me of my past. I tell myself I'm strong, but I know different. This scar is one of many that you probably already know about because you stayed in the Med Bay for hours before you went to bed and don't think I didn't see you closing your laptop the second I entered the room"

"You're getting off topic" Peter told her

"Yes, I know. Listen… if you've read every single scar and injury that's fine but I'd rather you speak to me about it than trying to learn it in secret. I'll tell you this only because I know you won't breathe a word to anyone else" Naomi had to stop to catch her breath "The scar line across my thigh is my oldest scar, the one now brandishing my shoulder is my newest but of course you already knew that, you were there"

"What happened?" Peter questioned

"My Father took a blade to my leg because I accidently smashed some glasses and plates. It healed eventually because it wasn't a Silver blade, but the mark never left. Like you I had to limp everywhere for a while"

"How old were you?" He continued

Naomi pulled a face "Does it matter?"

Peter shrugged "I guess not but you did say it was your oldest. I'm just curious"

"I'll tell you another time"

"You know I'm always here to talk to, Naomi"

"Yes, I get it" Naomi pushed herself up, nearly making Peter fall sideways "You're the hero and the mentor everyone goes to with their problems"

"Naomi,"

"No, I'll go. Goodnight Peter"

Peter sighed to himself knowing there was no longer a point in arguing anymore "Night"

Naomi semi-slammed the door behind her "Way to go your fucking moron" She hissed to herself, locking herself in her room. She threw herself onto her bad shoulder and curled up in a ball. She wouldn't sleep tonight but maybe that was a good thing.

Peter didn't get much sleep either that night both madly concerned and worried about Naomi's past and how it would affect her now, he kicked himself a little for simulating Silver knives on her first simulation.

Hours streamed by again, both wanted to apologise and shout at each other still while they both refused to cave in. They wanted to wait each other out. Sleep or caving in, whichever came first. Sleep took Peter first while Naomi lay wide awake with her Father's words screaming at her, but they faded into the darkness that was her room surrounding her, of course it didn't last long as sunrise was peeking through her curtains, luckily, they were dark enough to reflect the light from disturbing her thoughts

She lazily drifted her thoughts to meeting her new team, she'd heard of at least four people being included to make this misfit band.

"Six people… Six Mutants" She whispered to herself. Four people, plus her and then Peter training them "What could go wrong there?" Naomi half-assed a smiled to herself.

Daylight spread across her curtains lighting up her room. Naomi pulled a long face wondering how long she could last with no sleep, maybe she could close her eyes for just five minutes and then she'd feel better.


	9. Chapter 9

A few days had passed. Neither Naomi or Peter had seen hide or hair of one another. It wasn't intentional by any means. Peter was focussing on lesson plans, his first class was only an hour away from him which was making him extremely nervous. He had appointed himself in the chosen classroom early for preparations and to familiarise himself with the classroom, so he didn't make a fool out of himself by crashing into a table or tripping over himself.

"Can I really teach? I mean I'm only twenty-one and I've only been a part of the X-Men for three years, surely Logan or Storm or _anyone_ would be better suited for this than me" Peter muttered, forgetting that stressing himself out was not going to help.

This idea lingered in his head, but he squashed it down in favour of plans for the class.

First, he would introduce himself to the class and then everyone else would too, he would then take his time going over basic combat training, first aid and then move on to battle tactics; how to use your given environment and lastly how to use advanced combat training while working as a team. He knew Naomi would struggle with that last aspect, she was still new to this school meaning she was still technically an outsider compared to the rest of the students.

Roughly an hour passed as Peter's lecture began. One by one the class grew. Naomi was first to enter, Peter silently believed Naomi would stick close to him considering she didn't know anyone else, he wouldn't hesitate to help her but she would need to build confidence in working with a team. Second to enter was already known among the X-men community; X-23, also known as Laura Kinney. She was a young, quieter mutant who bore the strikingly similar - if not better - mutation to Wolverine. Her training and combat skills were already at a high level due her being Logan's Clone / Daughter. Peter realised Laura would have the same issue as Naomi with working in teams. A further two entered, both boys, one was a tall, well built young man with red hair and blue eyes and the other was a short skinny boy with dark hair, green eyes and glasses to boot. Peter knew the pair were best of friends.

James owned a kind heart and had and always looked up to Callum like an older Brother. They were practically family at this point. James' mutation consisted of Telepathy with low-key Telekinesis underneath - something almost untouched within his abilities, Peter knew he would have to reach out for Professor Xavier's guidance for obvious reasons.

Callum, unlike James, was strong and independent but adapted well to having others around him. His mutation was Electrokinesis (the ability to manipulate electricity).

The fifth and final student never showed up, Peter assumed she had taken a sudden illness and was unable to attend class, he reminded himself to ask Xavier later on however right now he had a class to teach.

"Hello everyone. I'm your new teacher Peter Stewart, one or two of you already know me so I'm sure you will trust me to help you learn all basics in training to team building techniques and even more. Feel free to ask questions no matter what. But before any of that starts I want you all to introduce yourselves to each other. Can't be a team if you don't know each other's names"

The red head boy immediately spoke up "I'm Callum and I control electricity, I'm nineteen and I enjoy going on trips"

Almost as soon as Callum had finished the brunette boy next to him opened his mouth "I'm James, I'm eighteen and I'm a Telepath. My favourite thing to do is read"

Naomi sighed, a little louder than necessary bit stated "I'm Naomi, a shape-shifter and I spend most of my time listening to music" Naomi scoffed "Feels like I'm in an AA Meeting. Oh, and I'm eighteen" Naomi remembered there was an age requirement.

Peter chuckled to himself as he heard Naomi's obscure comment just before the last started speaking.

The girl near Naomi finished "I'm X-23, or Laura. I don't know my exact age but my body physique is twenty-years-old. I spend most of my time around my Father, Logan"

"Right, now that the AA part is over how about I show you where we will be doing most of the combat training?"

Naomi laughed, tilting her head away. "You aren't going to pull a Logan on us and try to blow us up on the spot, right?"

Laura and Peter laughed Peter dismissed Naomi s comment.

Everyone except Naomi gave consent for the training. She knew what Peter meant and it was not on her favourite's list but she didn't disband from the group just yet knowing it would be incredibly suspicious if she did. Peter whispered his intentions to her, only being a display instead of actual training for a visual taster, however she would need to stay given it was a team building exercise.

peter led everyone to the Danger Room he then showed them the control room a big circular viewing deck attached to the ceiling of the main room, which also held all the controls that powered the room.

"It looks like something NASA would use" remarked James.

Peter then told them that this is where he would be controlling everything and that the room could make pretty much anything. he then told them all to go back down and enter the danger room while he loaded a simple program that recreated the grounds on which the school was. Peter let them have fun in the program and marvel in what the room was capable of.

After that he ended the class saying alright that's enough for one day now remember until I am complete healed classes will on be once a week. The entire class gave him a thumbs up in understanding.

Callum brightened up and suggested an idea to the group "How about we hang out in a rec room? Get to know each other a little more, could be fun, we could get a drink too?"

"I thought to drinking age in America was 21?" Naomi brought up

Peter then looked at Naomi and said "I will not tell if you don't"

Naomi gasped dramatically, smiling "Encouraging under-age drinking, Peter? What shall you influence us to do next? Better make sure Xavier doesn't poke around into your head to find out about missing Scotch"

"Trust me I have my own supply" Peter said laughing

Naomi snorted in response.

"Don't let Logan know about that," Laura added "He'll drink that in his sleep"

"The amount of times he's drunk me under the table that would not surprise me" said peter fully on belly laughing which hurt a little.

"Drunk you under the table? You challenged the Wolverine to a drinking contest?" Laura tried so hard to not dissolve in laughter "Are you mad?"

Callum and James weren't paying attention, talking amongst themselves

"Nope not mad, just Scottish" Still hurting from laughing Peter held on to his side hoping no one would notice

Naomi did but she knew not to voice it. She discretely ushered Peter to a soft couch silently communicating through a stare _'Don't over-exert yourself. You're still healing'_ She dropped next to him on the seat "Hey guys, sit down and talk, think our teacher might burst stitches if we're not careful"

No-one caught on and complied, James stuck to Callum's side while Laura sat down close to Naomi and Peter effectively dividing the group with the illusion of spacing.

Hours bled away, the group learned about Laura's creation, it took a while for the atmosphere to become less tense, Naomi disclosed she had been homeless for a portion of her life while James and Callum shared embarrassing stories about each other. It ended with a small display of each other's powers. After two blown up bulbs, a near-Wolverine experience and little shape-shifting the group and Peter realised it was nearly time for Dinner.

"Right guys we should probably clean-up are mess and head to dinner don't need a visit from Logan asking why I have not eaten" Peter laughed at his own comment.

"If Logan doesn't, I'll jump on your back for it" Naomi replied with sincerity.

"I know anyway after dinner need to clean my car so will need to head anyway" replied Peter

"Car?" Naomi lifted an eyebrow "Never pegged you to having some wheels. Thought you lived and breathed this place?"

"Yeah well even I can get fed up of this place makes life a lot easier if you need to get somewhere and the x-jet is not available" Peter joked

Naomi smiled, "True, why land a fighter jet when car parking is so much more accessible"

Peter laughed heading towards the dining room "Anyways, got to make sure my Baby stays in top shape"

"Baby? You have a kid? You're only, what? Twenty-one at best" Naomi pulled a confused face.

"It's what I call my car, OK" Peter replied

"Oh" Realisation struck "Oh! You're a Fan too?"

"Fan of what?" Peter questioned

"Bitch" Naomi bluntly stated

"Why are you calling me a bitch?" Peter asked, slightly angry

Naomi threw her head back, laughing so hard it echoed down the hall

"I don't get it. Why are you laughing?" Peter asked slight frustrated

"You're kidding, right?" She questioned while getting her breath back "You call your car 'Baby' and yet you don't know what I'm talking about? I may not of had much but I definitely had that"

"What?!" Peter was getting more frustrated at Naomi

"Come on, Cas. When did Dean give you Baby? You're not Sammy and he trusts few people in the world with his precious Impala" Naomi turned smug, side-smirking.

"How the fuck did you know my car was an Impala and I feel like you're quoting something, so what is it?" Peter was ready to walk away from Naomi if he did not get a straight answer

Naomi laughed "Called it, and if you name a car Baby then it instantly falls under the category of an Impala. There's a show I've watched when I can, _'Supernatural'_ You ever seen it?"

"No what is supernatural?" Peter wondered, confused

Naomi froze, gasping a lot louder than required but she couldn't believe it "You're got to be joking. You own an Impala" She counted with her fingers "You've called it Baby and you dress like Castiel except you own a red tie instead of blue. You may be my teacher but you need educated, Peter"

"OK well I'm going to have dinner and wash my car so unless you want Xavier to tell you off do not call me bitch or anything else from _Supernatural_ "

Naomi sighed, losing a little of her smile "It's a quote and fine. I promise not to call you that until you understand what I'm referring to. May I join you for Dinner or am I..." Naomi stopped, silencing herself.

"Yes, it's not like I'm going to starve you"

"Thanks... uh, is the cutlery silver? You know what happens"

"No, I told Xavier and he replaced all the cutlery with non-silver versions"

"Stainless Steel doesn't affect me, and thanks... I didn't think I was worth the change"

"You are we would rather get rid of something that could hurt you then keep it"

"I appreciate that" Naomi had subconsciously tucked her hands away in her jean pockets.

"Right time for dinner don't know about you but I am starving"

Peter quickly grabbed some food and went to the table

Naomi followed by Peter's example but took her time analysing each piece due to her past, finding a few things she did like she headed to the table and joined Peter's side.

There was a lot of conversion around the room, mostly gossip. Xavier came up to Peter to ask how his first class went to which Peter responded with "It went well but I couldn't help but notice I was missing someone, what happened?"

"Nothing serious, she was just sick is all" replied Xavier

"OK, hope she gets better soon"

Xavier then said his goodnights and left to talk with Storm and the a few others.

Peter did not take much longer after talking to Xavier to finish his dinner then got up and started heading to the garage. Naomi saw Peter getting up to leave so quickly finished her food and asked if she could follow.

Peter said "Yeah, just don't touch anything, things in there aren't supposed to be touched without permission"

It didn't take long until they were both in at the garage Peter opened the door and turned on the light there where all sorts of vehicles from bikes to cars but Peter just made a b-line to the black impala in the corner.

Naomi froze. Having to take a second to realise not only was Peter walking towards an Impala but Baby herself "Hello, Beautiful. You weren't kidding when you said she was your Baby. She's pristine"

"Yeah found her in a scrap yard and took her back here. Me and Logan then pretty much rebuilt her from scratch, anywhere I go I usually take her. Can't stand the X-Jet personally, rather use my Baby as you can see by the amount of mud on her" Peter replied

Peter then got a bucket and sponge then filled the bucket with hot water and car wash.

"Wow. Who would let poor Baby rot in a scrap yard? Poor thing, she likes you though, despite being a little too dirty for her tastes. Bet Logan's a little jealous you took ownership"

"Logan prefers two wheels over four that's his motorbike over in the other corner"

"Oh. Well, still... Gotta have just that little spark in there. I'll help, with your injuries I'm not letting you over-do things"

"Thanks, if we get it done fast enough, I will take you for a short ride"

Naomi ducked her head down, trying far too obviously to hide her smile but grinned all big and toothy and said with a croaked voice "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me in a long time"

"Well you're welcome now come on car's not going to wash herself" Peter said with a somewhat of a sad look on his face that he hid from Naomi.

Peter and Naomi spent the majority of the night cleaning Baby, Naomi bit her tongue about _'Supernatural'_ because she wouldn't dare ruin the show for her new (developing) friendship with Peter. Naomi of course made sure she did more considering Peter was still injured. The pair decided that it was far too late and took way too much energy to go to bed so they slept in the Impala. Peter took the back while Naomi took the front seats. Despite the discomfort the would follow in the morning it was the best sleep either had had in a while.


	10. Chapter 10

The pair woke up the next morning. Sunlight hit through the garage first, the few smaller windows that were on the walls let in direct beams into the Impala's windows and front windscreen. It rudely disturbed Peter first, he groaned as he attempted to avoid the daylight hours for just another couple minutes. Enduring the inevitable Peter opened his eyes wishing immediately he hadn't and stretched out his cramped back, his shoulders and back popping while his head skimmed Baby's roof. Peter was a stiff and sore due to not sleeping in such a small space for a while now. Naomi, on the other hand, was fine. She was far too used to sleeping in uncomfortable or cramped or confined spaces.

"Oh yeah… We're in my car…" He mumbled to himself, scrubbing is face one-handed. Throwing his legs off the bench seat he nudged Naomi awake, her eyes snapped open, she was laying on her back, legs and arms crossed over while her head rested on the interior of the door, resting against the window. It must have been uncomfortable.

"Hey," She sat up rubbing her neck and slouched forward, yawning loudly as her system woke up, she hissed against the light that offended her eyes "Should we get out of the car? No doubt we've overslept and some of your students are searching for you, the Professor too"

"Uhm… I think breakfast first, well actually a shower first and then eat breakfast." Once a shower was taken and a bit of breakfast later Peter asked Naomi if she'd like to accompany him on a drive. "I don't think I'll have a class today, why don't we just explore? Let the Impala stretch her legs for a couple hours there is a town close by or a city that's a wee drive away" Peter suggested.

"Uh... been in the city a long time, why not expand to the town, if you're wanting fresh air then maybe the country side? We'll keep Baby away from the mud, of course"

"Town via the country roads it is then" Peter replied with a smile on his face

"Awesome. Guessing you're picking' the music, right?"

"I suppose I could be nice and let you pick this once"

Naomi gasped "Really? Shotgun isn't supposed to, what do you have?"

"Bit of everything I like rock and pretty much any music"

Naomi contemplated her options, sneaking a glance at the full box of cassette tapes, "How about some Gun's N' Roses? In the mood for it"

"Yeah should be some in there somewhere look though the box I'm just going to check everything in the car is ready to go" Peter gave the impala a once over checking everting.

Naomi admired the Impala from the inside, it was clear where changes and restorations had been made but it was still the Impala. "Gotta say, this is probably the best thing you'll ever find or get your hands on in your life"

"Yeah probably, it's why I make sure to look after and why hardly anyone bar a few people are allowed to touch or go near her and even fewer are allowed to drive her. You'd be surprised where I found her, I was lucky, the guy in the scrap yard just gave it to me so I decided she needed restored"

"Huh. Wow, must of saw something in you, not your Mutation but something" Naomi chuckled "Hey, maybe it was the coat"

"I take it I look like a person from that show you were talking about?"

"In a sense, dark hair and the trench coat, but you don't have blue eyes or a tie to match"

"Ok well cars ready you find any music you like?"

"Guns N' Roses, like I said before"

"Cool let's go then" Turning the key in the ignition, the Impala purred to life

"Hel-lo, Baby"

Peter clicked a button on the keyring and the garage door opened. Naomi put the cassette she choose into the player and it began to play "There was a Time" After hearing the opening, Peter commented "Good choice"

"It's a classic" Naomi replied, her head turned away, gazing out the window.

Peter drove up to the school gates, pressed the buzzer for release and continued on his way towards the country roads.

The elder Mutant looked over to Naomi after a few minutes and asked, "How was your sleep?"

Naomi had to think, she chuckled to herself "Surprisingly good, woke up around 06:00AM but I'm used to that, what about you? Anymore nightmares or was it a quiet night for a change?"

"had a good night sleep for once and no nightmares for once although don't think I'm going to make it a habit of sleeping in here as paid for it in the morning" Peter had a little giggle at his last comment

"Oh? You OK now?" Naomi redirected her gaze, concern was obvious now

"hmm yeah I'm fine you?"

"Yeah, hey, uh... can I ask you something?"

" yeah sure anything shoot"

"Your powers, it's card magic, right? You ever managed to summon something in your sleep? Have a little Dragon watching and circling over you while you sleep"

"As much as I can tell yeah. Also, I have summoned in my sleep before which originally was strange as I didn't know I could do that and woke up with Celestial company, I prefer it when I don't wake up alone"

"I get that, it's nice to have a watchful eye over you as you are laying in a vulnerable state"

"Yeah" Peter said with a sad look.

"I say something wrong?" Naomi questioned, softer in tone.

"No just thinking on the past it's nothing anyway what do you want to do when we get to town?" Peter giving a half answer he did not want to say the true reason he thought he summoned in his sleep. Guilt waded over his insides.

Naomi peered at Peter, a sixth sense she owned, knowing exactly when people were lying to her considering how many people she'd shifted into over the years, but kept herself silent for a moment "Honestly, I have no idea, hey, maybe we could get you some new clothes or at least another shirt or something after getting our fresh air"

"New clothes? What's the matter with what I'm wearing? I thought you might like stuff to decorate you room a bit I have got more than enough money for anything you need or want and for the record, clothes shopping is not really my thing"

"Nothing's wrong with your clothes, just figured you'd want a change. In terms of decor... I've never really had much so I don't know, might get a little table and put a bowl of colourful stones or candles on it"

Peter snorted in disbelief "Come on, it can be anything you want! One-time offer within reason, of course" Peter laughed

Naomi joined in laughing, "I'm serious, I like colourful and decorative stones, when I was little, like really little I used to collect them. I'll start that again, candles help me relax too, freshens up the place"

"well if memory is good, I think there is a wee crystal in the town they will do all that stuff also a comic book shop where I get most my cards think he might also like that show you were talking about as he called me Cas once as well"

Naomi hummed, "Maybe one day you'll understand. But the rest sounds good, why don't we go there first?"

"sure, still a wee bit of a drive though"

"We've got all the time we need" Naomi smiled, making herself comfortable in the car, for the first time in her life, she finally had someone she could call a friend.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for short chapter been busy with college and had writers block but should be back to uploading soon and longer chapters hope you enjoy

Fifteen minutes had passed as the pair had reached town. Naomi was admiring all the stores and people passing them by while Peter concentrated on finding a parking space. One was available outside of his go-to Comic Shop. It was a win-win situation.

"Here we are, a little piece of suburban America's town" Pointing towards places for Naomi to follow his guidance "Right in front of us is the Comic Shop, over there is my favourite Diner and that's the Crystal Shop I was talking about and down there is the mall where I'm sure you're going to drag me to for our clothes"

Naomi peeked in the Comic Shop window "Looks good, how about we go inside and say 'Hi' instead of lingering out here, seems a little rude"

Peter nodded in agreement "Yeah, plus knowing me I've probably ordered something and forgotten about it"

Heading into the shop the owner, named Jeff, was perched behind the front counter reading to himself perked up at the sound of customers "Hey Cas, how are you today? I see you've brought a friend"

"Hey Jeff, I'm good thanks, you? This is Naomi, she's a friend from the school. I'm just showing her around town before we head out to the country for a little fresh air"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeff, good to see you're finally coaxing yourself outta that shell you made for yourself, Cas"

"Yeah, yeah" Peter dismissed "Have I left anything here?"

"Uh huh, your batch is in the back, wait here and I'll get 'em"

'Dream On' by Aerosmith began to play over the speakers, Naomi sang along under her breath while browsing the comics and CDs

"You know this song?"

"Yeah, it was something my Dad listened to a lot"

Peter had to think about his words for a second "You never talk about your family"

"Says you" Naomi spat defensively "Besides, what do you want me to say? Everything was all sunshine and roses? He was the world's greatest father known to man? No! He wasn't, he was a selfish prick!"

"Okay," The elder mutant surrendered and backed off from his friend. It was true, he didn't talk or give too much thought towards his own family, it still hurt too much to think about them after all the years that passed "Sorry, just thought I'd ask"

"Well don't" Naomi shot back, the good mood between them had vanished for now. Peter believed Naomi was a good person beneath all of her confusing behaviour switches but given her life compared to his, he figured she had rarely let her guard down for anyone and at a drop of a hat was ready to pull it back up again

"Here ya go, Cas. All still in their packaging and ready for use" Jeff returned, placed the box in front of him. Peter paid his discounted amount and muttered that he'd be back in a second

"You OK there, shorty?"

Naomi glared at Jeff "I'm not that short bitch"

"Better watch your mouth in here, jerk"

Naomi smirked, "Why? Are Archangels going to smite my ass if I get close enough? You consider me that much of a threat" Naomi couldn't keep a straight face, laughing by the end of her sentence

"You got me, so which are you? Cas over there doesn't get any of my jokes"

"Don't worry, I got Cassie's back" Seeing a lollipop Naomi took her chance to rip it cleanly out of the packing and shove it in her mouth, "Here" She handed over her pocket-fill of change to pay

"You're alright, keep it. Metabolism is a bitch for shifters too"

Stunned Naomi asked, "How...?"

"The mirror up there, I saw your eyes glowing reflection. You and Peter aren't the only Mutants I've dealt with, you cause any trouble and I'll load your chest full of silver"

Peter returned, confused and concerned as to why Jeff was threatening Naomi.

"I like him" Naomi grinned, returning to browsing the aisles for something she liked or just caught her interest

Seeing as there wasn't much point in staying now Peter gestured for them to both go, he received his cards so all there was left to do in town was waste the day, they still had the countryside to visit however with the tense atmosphere between the Mutant pair Peter was determined to figure out how to broach the subject of Naomi's Father without pissing her off to the point of screaming. "So why do you like Jeff?"

That caught Naomi off-guard "What?"

"Jeff?"

"Oh, inside jokes... you'll understand when you start Supernatural. When you get to Season 4, you'll get why I'm calling you Cas" She joked.

The stiffness between them was still there but it wasn't choking anyone now. Peter decided he'd ask tonight, maybe when Naomi was half-asleep and wouldn't be able to yell at him, yeah, that would work.

The pair re-entered the Impala "So," Peter began "where do you wanna go next?"

"The countryside," Naomi replied "like we planned"

"Sure, I've got a couple of beer in the back if you want one when we get there" Answered Peter, he started the Impala, its beauty purring back to life.


End file.
